Locking mechanism for drawers for filing-cabinets.



A. T. wmss. LOCKING MECHANISM FOR DRAWERS FOB. FILING CABINETS.

APPLIGATION FILED SEPT. 21, 1905. 1,031,751 Patented July 9, 1912.

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APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 21, 1905.

1,031,751 Patented July 9, 1912.

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lawenl oz A. T. WEISS.

LOOKING MEGHANISM FOR DRAWERS FOR FILING CABINETS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 21, 1905.

Patented July 9, 1912.

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LOCKING MECHANISM FOR DRAWERS FOR FILING CABINETS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 21, 1905.

1,031,751 Patented July 9,1912.

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UNITED STATES, r trnNT OFFICE.

ALBERT r. wnrss, or aocn-nsrsn, new man, assrenon rom rawman & mum nannmcrnmne oemranr, 0F nocmisrsn, new roux, A conPoRA'rIoN or NEW YORK.

LOCKING MECHANISM FOR, DRAWERS FOB FILING-CABINETS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 9, 1912.

Application filed September 21, 1905. Serial No. 279,460.

5 new and useful Improvements in Looking Mechanism for Drawers for Filing-Cabinets; and I do hereby declare the following" to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the acforming a part of the specification, and to the reference-numerals marked thereon.

My present invention has for its object to provide an improved form of locking mecha- 15 nism for securing the removable drawers or slides of filing cases or cabinets comprising generally, drawers which is controlled so as to 100 or unlock all of them by the movement of a My invention has for its further object to provide a locking mechanism having an independentlymovable part cooperating with each slide or drawer and arranged to permig an automatically engaged without releasing said mechanism. I To these and other ends the invention consists in certain improvements and combinations of parts all as will be hereinafter more fully descrlbed, the novel features being pointed. out in the claims at the end of the specification.

In the drawin s: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a unit 0 a sectional cabinet showing the mechan sm embodying my invention aplied thereto. Fig. 2is a plan view thereof. ig. 3 is alongitudinal sectional view showing two sections or units, one mounted upon and the mechanism in each connected for simultaneous operation. Fig. 4 is a cross sectional'view thereof. Fig. 5 is an. enlarged detail View. Fig. 6 is a view, similar to Fig; 4: howing a modified form of the invention, and Fig; 7 is a sectional view thereof on the line 7 7* of Fig. 6.

Similar reference numerals infthe several figures indicate similar parts. I

In illustrating my invention I have shown '50 it applied .toaunit or componentfpart of a sectional filing cabinet having a plurality of drawers and comprising a base 1, aback 2 and the ends 3, connected by the cleats 4. which are adapted to fit into, a recesspro f means for locking a pluralit of' 10f the arm 22 partition 21 whic extend above the drawer posit-ion in the cabinet.

vided upon the bottom of an adjacent section, when one or more of such sections are stacked together, as shown in Fig. 3. In

the resent instance the unit is shown as rovided with three filing drawers or slides indlcated by 5, 6 and 7 each of which is provided with a retaining device for letters or papers having arch wires 8 mounted upon a base 9 secured to the bottom of the drawer.

At the rear of the unit or section is a wall 10 on the face of which is the locking mechanism comprising the longitudinally extending member or bar, 15 having at its ends and central portion vertically disposed members 16, held loosely in posi- 17 attached to the wall 10. located above the bar 15 and guiding t1on by straps The straps are serve to limit its upward movement when it is retracted'into inoperative position by the springs 18 to release the drawers. In Fig. 1 the complete mechanism is shown in a single unit or section, that is, there are looking devices for two of the drawers and devices which are controlled by the insertion or partial removal of the third drawer, which forv convenience may be one-6 which may be secured against removal, by a key lock 19 having a bolt 20 adapted to engage the proximate side of one of the partitions 21. Extending downwardly from the bar 15 is an arm or arms,

having a forwardly projecting end 23 which is inclined relatively to the bottom of the drawer 6, so that when engaged thereby it will be forced downwardly to operate the "bar 15 and carry the locking members there- I on into engagement with the drawer-s5 7; To prevent the drawer from rising in and the cabinet, when engaging the inclined end I provide guides 24 on the ferin in construction from the one illustrated', .but they all embody engaging members 25yhaving an 'end 26' adapted to interlock; with the drawer or an abutment there on such as a loop 24 provided on the arch Base 9". Inorderzto permit a drawer to be termed the controller, such as the central therequirements arising in filing cases difinserted if, for instance, the locking mechanls'm has been set-in operative'position the engaging member is preferably mounted to moveindependently on the guiding members 16*.and as a convenient means of mount-.

ing said members they are formed, as shown in Fig. 5, with the front and rear walls embracing the corresponding sides and one edge of said bars to which'they are secured by pins 30 passing through elongated apertures therein; Arranged insaidapertures and bearing against the upper sides ofthe pinsare springs 31 operating to normally I i hold the engaging members in operative position, asshown in Figs. 4 and 5, but per-' mitt-ing them toqbe elevated when the cooperating abutment or the drawer is forced intojen'gagement with theirbevel'ends 26. Where two or more units or sections are arranged in a vertical tier a single controlling drawer or other operating means --will answer for all of them and it may. be

located'in either an upper, a lower or an intermediate unit or section, as will be, readily understood. In. Figs. 3 and 4 I have shown two of'such sections or units, the one containing the controlling drawer being superposedupon the other which is provided with a longitudinal bar 15 and the vertical guide bars 16 arranged in alinement with the bars 16, of the upper section, and connected thereto by. plates 160 and screws 161, an arrangement enabling an indefinite number of sections to be com bined into a single case in which the drawers are all controlled by a single member secured against unauthorized removal by a key lock.

a In Figs. 6 and 7 I have illustrated my invention as applied to a cabinet having drawers adapted to contain card indexes which comprise a casing provided with a back 36in which the four, or more,

3. drawers a, b, c and d are inclosed. The

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casing is divided centrally by a vertically extending partition 37 and the upper set of drawers a and b are supported upon ways 38secured thereto and to the sides of the casing. The set of ways supporting one mechanism comprises a vertically movable bar 39 supported at pointsnear its upper and lower ends by headed studs 40 extending through elongated apertures 41, 1n the bar, and mounted on brackets 42 secured to the rear'wall 36.0f the cabinet. At its lower end the bar extends laterally, as

shown at 43, in rear of the drawer d where its extremity projects forwardly and downwardly at an angle to the bottom of the drawer, as indicated by 44. Pivoted at the upper end of the bar and extending at opposite sides thereof are locking members in the form of wings 45 having forwardly extending fingers 46, provided with bevel ends 47 forming latches which are adapted to extend. over the rear walls 48 of the drawers a and b respectively. The wings are normally held in horizontal position by the shoulders 49 thereon, which abut the sides of the bar 39, beneath their pivoted point, and a spring 50 located between them above the said pivot. A similar wing 51 is also pivoted to the bar at the point 52 which is yieldingly held in operative position by a spring 53whereby its latch projection 54 will cooperate with the end of the drawer 0.. v i

The drawer d which forms a controlling member in a cabinet of this character is secured against removal by a suitable key look, not shown, but similar to the lock 19 in the-drawer 6, and it will be seen that when the .drawer d is secured in. position the bar 39 is forced downwardly so that the. projections (in the wings or looking members 45 and 51 will engage the rear ends of their respective drawers, which in this instance form the interlocking abut- Inents, corresponding to the loops 25 on the drawers 5, 6 and 7 for preventing their removal. By partially withdrawing the drawer d, out of engagement with the bevel end 44, the bar 39 is permitted to be drawn upwardly, by the tension of the spring 55' to carry the locking members out of operative position and simultaneously release all of the drawers, If the drawer d is closed and locked, inadvertently, while one of the drawers a, b and 0 is withdrawn from the tion, it may be moved inwardly into enspective locking member or wing w ich will rotate sufficiently to permit the butment' or rear end of the drawer to pass beneath said projection.

' cabinet, or is not inserted in its proper posi- 4 gagement with the latch end 47. of its re 1 While I have only shown the locking de- 1 vices,embodying my invention as applied to a card index cabinet having four drawers, which are arranged in a single case, it will be readily understood that if a greater num-' ber of drawers are provided additional parts duplicating thosedescribed will be employed and if the cabinet is made in units or sections the corresponding parts. of the bars 39 will be detachably connected, as will be understood.

The locking devices embodying my invention are simple in construction and may be readily applied to filing cabinets heretofore in use. The arrangement of the parts as illustrated enables a series of drawers in "a cabinet to be locked to prevent access to their contents b simply looking a single drawer or contro ling member which secures all of the other slides or drawers. By yieldingly supporting the latches or engaging members 5 and in operative position. by

.means of the springs 31'and the slides tally therein and provided with a backing,

an interior wall located in front of and in proximity to the rear wall and drawers fitting the cabinet one of which is ofskeleton form comprising a bottom and devoid of side pieces, of locking mechanism supported on said interior wall comprising devices adapted to engage the several drawers and a connecting operating bar extending horizontally, an arm connected to said mechanism provided with an inclined endprojecting forwardly beneath the skeleton drawer and cooperating with the side of the bottom thereof to actuate the mechanism into operative position and a stop engaging the other side of said drawer bottom for holding th latter in position in the cabinet.

2. ihe combination with a filing cabinet having a plurality of drawers and a locking mechanism therefor comprising an operating member having guldes arranged thereon in rear of the drawers and provided with apertures, of engaging members movably mounted on the guides having outwardly projecting latch ends coiiperating with their respective drawers, securing pins on the members enterin the apertures in on the pins.

the guides and springs a so arrangedtherein and bearin 3. The com ination with a cabinet com-- prising a plurality of superposed sections detachably connected together, and each having a row of drawers-disposed horiz0ntally therein, of a vertically movable mem= ber in rear of the drawers of each section and havin latches movable thereon to cooperate w1th their respective drawers, a

horizontally extending bar in each section connecting the several members therein for simultaneous'vertical movement, devices detachably connecting the vertically mov'able members of an upper section with corresponding members in the section next below it, and means for operating the connected members and bars to cause the latches to be positioned to either lock or release the drawers.

4. The combination with a cabinet comprising a plurality ofsuperposed sections detachably connected together and each provided with a backing and having a horizontal series of drawers operating therein, and an interior partition wall located between necting all of the movable members of each' section, devices detachably connecting each movable member of one section with the corresponding member in a section next below it,'i'and means for operating the hori-.

zontal bars andthe members to cause the latches fto'lock and release the drawers in the drawers and backing of each section,

the "several sections. of the cabinet simultaneously; 4 V

' ALBERT T. WEISS. Witnesses:

G. W ILLARD RIcH,

M. I. 'S'r. HELENs. v 

